This invention relates to a weather-shield for protecting feeds for animals. In particular, the invention relates to a spray-on coating for bales of materials such as alfalfa and hay.
As used herein, the term "feed" is defined as commodities, such as hay, straw, stover, cobs, husks, hulls and similar stored fodder, the storage of which generally occurs outdoors. Because such feeds are harvested or produced at different rates than they are consumed, it is frequently necessary to accumulate considerable amounts of such feeds for extended periods of time. The configuration of bulk feeds can be in a variety of forms, such as stacks and bales of various shapes. A particularly common form of bale is the round (cylindrical) bale, which can vary in length, diameter and weight, but which results in a mass of feed weighing several hundred pounds. Other forms of stored feed with which the invention may be used include rectangular and square bales, stacks and bunker and upright silos.
Protecting such material from weather is a significant problem. The construction of shelters or sheds is a somewhat costly technique. Alternatively, wrapping baled material in plastic sheets is a technique which has been used, however, plastic sheets are difficult to apply and keep in place. Furthermore, plastic sheets cannot be ingested by animals and care must be taken to remove the sheets before the feed can be used.
There have been attempts to coat fodder with protective, digestible material. Examples of such attempts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,486 to Moore, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,890 and 4,859,480 to MacFarlane. The Moore coating comprises a monomer catalytically polymerized by acid blended with a sufficient amount of a nutritive cross-linking agent. The monomer recommended by Moore is an aqueous urea-formaldehyde resin, and the cross-linking agent which Moore recommends is a carbohydrate, such as molasses.
In the MacFarlane patent, it is suggested that an emulsion comprising a phosphoprotein casein, or a soybean oil, be used in combination with an emulsifying agent, such as polyethylene glycol, or a polyacrylamide polymer.
However, it is believed that such attempts represent impractical and expensive solutions to the problem of the weathering of baled or stockpiled feed.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a practical and inexpensive method of protecting feed from deterioration resulting from outdoor storage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating which is simple to prepare and which can be made with minimal mixing equipment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple method and apparatus for applying the coating of the present invention.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coating for use in protecting baled material which can be easily digested and readily accepted by livestock.
A further object of the invention is to provide a coating for baled material which is made of components which are readily accepted by regulatory agencies as being harmless to livestock.
These, and other objects of the invention, are achieved with an aqueous suspension comprised primarily of water and ground psyllium seed husks. Psyllium seed is well known as a laxative for humans, particularly when combined with a sweetening agent, such as in a product known as Metamucil.RTM.. Psyllium seed is the seed of a fleawort, and has the property of swelling and becoming gelatinous when mixed with water. Fleawort is a member of the plaintain family. It has been found that by mixing ground psyllium seed husks with water and applying the suspension to bales of feed, a protective coating is formed which significantly affects the resistance of the baled material to degradation from weather. In a preferred form of the invention, a small amount of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is added as a thickening and suspending agent. In accordance with the present invention, the psyllium husks and CMC are combined in a dry form to form a powder. The powder can be mixed with water at a rate of about 2 parts powder to about 98 parts water. The mixing can take place immediately prior to application of the suspension. Application is preferably achieved by spraying the suspension onto baled material, and by applying a substantially heavier coating of the suspension on generally horizontal surfaces of the baled material, as compared to more vertically oriented surfaces. For bales which are cylindrical in shape, an arcuate or half-moon-shaped dispensing device can be used to quickly and effectively apply the suspension to a series of adjacent bales.